but in 1945, franklin roosevelt called off the big party when world war ii was raging. historian douglas brinkley. >> that was a unique year, and most situations, even if we're in a recession or foreign war, we still throw pretty big inaugurals. >> reporter: for maurice madden, it is mainly a big moment. >> i do believe that if i'm blessed to live to be an old man, i'll be able to look back on all of this and say i know that i was, you know, a part of american history. and that really means a lot to me. >> reporter: a big part of his american journey. tom foreman, american journey. tom foreman, cnn, washington try running four.ning a restaurant is hard, fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores. rewards we put right back into our business. this is the only thing we've ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. make your mark with ink from chase. [ male announcer ] a european-inspired suspension, but it's not from germany. ♪ a powerful, fuel-efficient engine, but it's not from japan. ♪